This was the first book I've read by this author. The Kiss Lottery is a sweet second chance small town romance. I thought the premise of the kiss lottery was cute and fun. Great, quick read!

A well-developed story, despite being the size of a novella. It was sweet and swoony and entertaining.

Sweet small town second chance Valentine’s Day romance. I usually can’t put down a book by Ilsa Madden Mills and absolutely adore everything she writes but this one I couldn’t really get in to and I struggled to finish it. The characters chemistry from the start felt off to me and overall just didn’t hit right. There were quirky side characters that I loved and the small town Valentine’s Day events were colorful but overall it wasn’t my favorite.

This was a quick but great read. The plot was engaging, the romance was swoony, and the characters were extremely lovable. I really enjoyed that even with the shorter length, it didn't skimp on bringing together the problems & resolutions. I've read some previous works from this author and will happily continue.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

3.5 ⭐️’s! Super quick and cute read!! The author did a great job at showing the chemistry between the two characters in such a short book. I recommend if you are looking for a short and sweet romcom. I really enjoyed it!

Highly recommend! I loved this book. A sweet second chance romance with just a hint of mystery. Everly has been looking to find where she belongs her whole life; due to a wrong twist of fates back in high school she left behind the only person she had left to count on. Ten years later an anonymous invitation to the towns annual Kiss Lottery brings her back to her home town to see if maybe she can find what she’s been missing.
Definitely a book I would reread. Thank you to Ilsa Madden-Mills and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy this story.

Everly was an immense character to follow, her emotional journey was such a roller coaster. Going back to a town where everyone knows your business, especially when it did not end well, no thank you. She showed more grace than i would have. This one gave me enemies to lovers vibes. I cannot wait to read more from Ilsa.

This novella was a fun read but it felt rushed, like it should have been a full length novel. At the length it is now the plot developed so quickly from hate to love that the abrupt transition didn't feel believable. This made that characters feel one dimensional, especially the female antagonist who was the stereotypical mean girl villain. The initial intrigue, where the main character leaves her diary behind to be discovered rather than confronting her boyfriend and friend with the same facts that came out in the diary, was a a hard motive to understand. There's a few plot twists, but we're just told about them through memories and conversation. I would definitely read a full length version of this story, where the characters and plot unfold at a less frenetic pace.

A decade after leaving her hometown of Rose, Tennessee, Everly is lured back by an anonymous invitation to attend the town's Kiss Lottery. This sounds like an intriguing premise for her podcast, but she didn’t expect to be paired up with her old flame, Beckett. Sparks fly in this Valentine's novella, which offers a sweet second chance romance, dual POVs, quirky smalltown characters, and a touch of spice – all adding up to a fun and engaging short read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

It was a cute concept and an easy read! I enjoyed the premise of the book and really related to trying to go back to a small town who remembers everything.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

So much emotion in a small-ish package…

Everly and Beckett’s story could hardly be contained in this sweet second chance romance. They had been friends forever when they were kids, tackling all the good and the bad, together. When a falling out happened, Ever didn’t look back and swore she never would return to her hometown…

Well, here she was and all the secrets were going to be revealed as the Valentine’s Kiss Lottery played out for another year. I really enjoyed these characters as they gravitated back to each other, one revelation and feelings-baring conversation at a time…

There was a lot packed into this novella making it one to enjoy quickly before the satisfying HEA…

I liked this story! When I realized this was about reuniting old high school romance, not gonna lie, I groaned. That high school is stuff is one of my least enjoyable tropes. However, it worked here. Color me surprised.

I think that having that link to the past made the novella richer and the romance more understandable. I’ve never read this author before, but I’m going to search up something else from her catalog and try it. I’m impressed by what she put together in this story.

this was such a quick and easy valentines day novella and i ate it up! Everly and Beckett were so sweet and I love that they got their second chance after everything is talked about and the truth is finally discovered. these two were absolutely meant to be and it may have taken some time but im so glad these two got the HEA they deserved!

I’ve enjoyed other books by this author, but this novella wasn’t for me. It felt disjointed, more like a bunch of half formed ideas thrown together than anything coherent.

I don’t recommend this, but I do plan to read other work by this author in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

A fun quick read! This second chance, exes best friend, was low angst and sweet. The side characters really shined as well.

One thing I enjoy with this author is that her books are short and sweet with some steamy sprinkled in - and this was not an exception. This book is told in Everly and Beckett's alternating POV. They were best friends growing up, and then high school happened. Then, life kept them apart for ten years until Everly ended up back in their small town. I really liked the characters and the build-up for most of the book. I did feel the ending was rushed and there was never really any closure with Lily given the bigger part that involved her.

Overall, it was a good read with likable characters and a lot of sweet and swoony points. Things did get steamy for a bit and there was a scene that got me a bit choked up - not like that, emotionally. I would have just liked for a few things to have been expanded on instead of rushed through.

A fun valentine read! Everly and Beckett were a great read! Loved their connection and past! And loved watching them grow together. Their conversation were real. And it gave the love vibe!

I just love Ilsa Madden-Mills writing style and how fun and swoon-worthy her romances are. I should definitely read more by this author, I just never really get the chance to. Having been super happy when I got approved for this digital ARC of "The Kiss Lottery" and guess who read it way too late to the game - me! It's well past Valetine's day. It's actually the first day of March right now and only now did I finally get to read "The Kiss Lottery". Short, cute with a bit of a mystery plot that didn't even get resolved (did it?), I had a good time reading this book. Definitely something to get you out of a reading slump or just something to squeeze in between while preparing yourself for the next huge book on your TBR. I liked the characters' chemistry, the bit of peaks of drama we got here and there, the flashbacks and the friendship elements as well. I could definitely see this being transformed into a longer novel and while we're at it, being some kind of Hallmark movie as well. I couldn't help but picture this scenes bit by bit in my head, imagining this was a movie. Due to the fact that the mystery element to it kind of lacked for me and I really wish this had been longer, more yearning etc. it's not in my top books by this author, but I still had a fabulous time with it while I read it.

This is a fun novella that has wonderful characters with the small town vibes! I love Ilsa's writing and she did such a great job packing so much into a novella! You don't miss out on anything in this second chance romance.